Movie review: The Exception’ has no sense of danger

Thursday

Jun 22, 2017 at 10:37 AMJun 22, 2017 at 10:37 AM

Al Alexander More Content Now

One doesn’t often, if ever, associate Kaiser Wilhelm II with the Second World War. He was so 1918, you know. But author Alan Judd found a clever way to make him vital in his later years with his novel “The Kaiser’s Last Kiss.” In it, the somewhat dotty octogenarian is the unwitting center of a palace intrigue in which a German captain is sent by the Reich to keep an eye on the exiled old gent whose Dutch estate in Doorn is believed to be infiltrated by a British spy. Toss in a torrid romance and a couple side plots about an imminent visit from SS boss Heinrich Himmler and a disgraced emperor with a futile wish of Hitler restoring him to power, and you have yourself a rip-roaring soap opera to rival “Downton Abbey.” How could Hollywood, always looking for the next “Casablanca,” resist? It couldn’t — unfortunately — and the results are mixed, beginning with the stupid idea of changing the title to the generic — and decidedly unsexy — “The Exception.” Why? I’m assuming it’s in reference to our dashing leading man Capt. Stefan Brandt (played with chiseled brawn by “Divergent” hunk Jai Courtney), the one-and-only Nazi with a heart. He’s already on thin ice with his superiors for some undisclosed malfeasance in Poland that left him scarred (from shrapnel) and a bit confused about just what he’s fighting for.

You get the feeling that ferreting out the spy in the Kaiser’s court is his last chance for redemption. But his groin threatens to derail that salvation as soon as he sets lust-filled eyes on the Kaiser’s gorgeous servant, Mieke de Jong. How beautiful is she? Let’s just say she’s fit to play Cinderella, which is exactly what “Downton Abbey” vet Lily James did for Disney a few years back. But her actions here, I’m sure the Mouse would not approve; particularly when her captain’s first request is for her to strip naked, which she most obligingly does. Hot, Nazi sex ensues. And it won’t be the last time they do the horizontal boogie.

Stefan, being a man, thinks he’s in control, oblivious to the fact that Mieke is far more than what she seems, and being a closeted Jew isn’t even half of it. He’s also not her only suitor. It seems the Kaiser (a terrific Christopher Plummer) has taken a fancy as well, finding her companionship stimulating while feeding the ducks on his expansive estate. Unlike the German people, whose relatives he sent to horrifying deaths during World War I, a duck, he tells Mieke, “will never blame you for his troubles, or ask you to abdicate your throne.” Bitter? Yes. Rational? Not so much. In fact, he and his second wife (his first was Queen Elizabeth II’s second cousin, Augusta), the estimable Hermine (a splendid Janet McTeer), are waiting on pins and needles for word from The Fuhrer that all that Great War mess is bygones and his throne is still there for the taking. See, I told you he was dotty.

Credit goes to director David Leveaux, the London theater wiz making his film debut, for delivering all this mayhem with a straight face. As you’d expect from a veteran of the boards, Leveaux knows how to coax top performances from his entire cast, which also includes a fine Eddie Marsan (“Ray Donovan”), almost too convincing as the sociopathic Himmler. Where he and the story run into problems is through a script by Simon Burke that overflows with clunky dialogue and mass implausibilities. There’s also no real sense of danger — a killer for an alleged thriller. At least the Stefan-Mieke romance is strong, although you lament there’s not enough of it.

The film’s worst faux pas, through no fault of its own, is that it’s too much like Paul Verhoeven’s exceptional “Black Book,” which was also set in Holland and featured a steamy romance between a German officer and a Jewish woman working undercover — and under the covers. It was sexier, more stylish and better imagined all around than “The Exception.” Yet, I can’t say I wasn’t entertained. But then I’m a sucker for World War II romantic-thrillers. Heck, I’ll even cop to liking Brad Pitt’s largely panned “Allied.” I also can’t get enough of Christopher Plummer foiling Nazis, a la his most famous turn in “The Sound of Music.” Even at 87, he still acts rings around everyone. And though his turn here isn’t nearly as big as it ought to be, his is the performance you walk away remembering most. He even looks like Wilhelm, albeit with far more twinkle in his eye. Best of all, he keeps you constantly guessing as to whether the Kaiser is crazy, or just crazy like a fox. Either way, you’re grateful to be in his regal company.